Rebel Yell
by wooster182
Summary: It starts soon after House was shot. He decides he wants Cameron, but will she still choose him now that someone else is chasing her? I had it as one large chapter but have now separated it into twenty. Reviews are appreciated!
1. Chapter 1 Allison

Rebel Yell--Chapter 1

Cameron sat next to House's hospital bed, waiting for him to wake up. It had been three days since his surgery and no one was sure if the ketamine would work. When she, Chase and Foreman wasn't working on the latest case, she would come here. She had only been to her apartment a few hours each day to take a shower and change into fresh clothes. She wanted to be there when House woke up.

She stared at him now. It was almost 2:00 in the morning. Cameron gazed over House's stubbled chin and messy hair. He looked so peaceful and without pain. She knew that was the only time she had seen him like this and probably would be the last. She sighed, recalling his bright blues eyes. Her stomach swirled everytime those eyes _really_ looked at her. Looking over at the stand next to the bed, she saw his most prized and hated possessions. His cane was propped up by the table. His game boy and small television were sitting next to it. Cameron hated video games, but she picked up his Gameboy, pressed it to mute and began to play. Deep down, she thought that if she played it, it was like a silent wish for him to wake up. To be healed.

What she really wanted to do, what she longed for, was to kiss his forehead, to whisper that everything would be all right. Maybe if she did, his eyes would open and he would speak her name. _Allison._ She so badly wanted her name to come from his lips. She'd look down at him and would finally kiss him. And he would kiss her back.

"Ah, what the hell," she told herself. She turned off the Gameboy and returned it to the table. Cameron stood up, staring at him for a brief second. She bent over with the intentions to graze his forehead. But instead, her swirling stomach got the better of her and she kissed him lightly on the lips. She hovered over him, listening to him breathe, her entire body begging for him to stir.

"Allison?"

TBC


	2. Chapter 2 Shadows

Chapter 2

"Allison?"

Cameron's heart nearly fell out of her body and slid all over the floor. His whisper was barely audible. She blinked a few times out of shock. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at House. Her bright smile fell as she noticed he was still unconscious.

Someone else had entered the room.

"Allison, what are you doing?" The man asked. Cameron could only see his silhouette because House's hospital room was darkened, but she now knew who was speaking to her.

She gathered all the nerves she could muster. Standing beside the bed, she closed her eyes momentarily and pushed back her bangs with both hands. "Nothing," she sighed. "I just thought that if I...uh, talked to House, he might wake up...or hear me or..."

Cameron let her words fall away. She was embarrassed and could not hide it. The man must have understood this because he stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. He looked down at House. Even in the shadows, Cameron detected disdain for the sleeping doctor.

What he said next came out so quietly and unexpectedly, Cameron thought she was imagining things again. "He'll never love you the way you need him to."

Despite her best efforts, tears pooled in her eyes. She backed her shoulder away from the man. Her jaw firmly set, she gritted, "What did you say?"

Putting his head down, he exhaled as if for the first time since he entered the room. "You know I mean House. He won't ever put you first. And he sure as hell has never treated you the way he should." His jaw was firming too.

Resentment and fear surged through her body. _What if he's right? _she thought. Those feelings escaped from her angrily. "Who will treat me right? Who's up for that job?"

The man stared into her lovely face. The shadows better emphasized the curves of her cheeks and the softness of her lips. He didn't think he could ever let her go once he had her for good. For keeps. His stomach possessively knotted at the thought that she had just kissed House. That she would rather be with House, make love with House, live with House. Looking straight into her eyes, he no longer whispered. "Me. You should be with me."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3 Ketamine and Kisses

Chapter 3

House's body began to hum back to life. Before he opened his eyes, he wanted to savor the memories of his dreams about Cameron. He had dreamt that she stayed by his bedside for two days. There was also an interesting bit with a mechanical surgeon. That was his personal favorite. He would almost bet his bike on the fact that Cameron would be there when he opened his eyes. He was looking forward to that smile he had only hallucinated, but he wanted to mess with her first.

With his eyes still closed, he said, "Ooh, you know I love that little nurse's outfit you have with 'Get Well Soon' embroidered on the butt, but you really shouldn't have worn it to the hospital. That's highly inappropriate."

"But I thought it would make you feel all better," the person next to him cooed.

His eyes shot open. The only person in the room besides himself was Foreman. The thought of Foreman in a kinky nurse's outfit made him wish someone would shoot him again.

Foreman smiled at him as he checked his vitals and pupils. "How's the leg?"

House scowled. "Hurts like hell. Apparently ketamine sucks."

Foreman replied, "Well, it sucks for you anyway. I'm sorry, House." He reverently looked down at him, waiting for a response.

House's agitation was increasing. "Just give me some morphine or something." He waited a tick and then casually asked if Cameron or Chase had shown up for work today.

Foreman silently chuckled at the fake interest in Chase. He knew what House wanted to know, but Cameron made everyone swear not to tell House she had stayed there for three days. Instead Foreman said, "Chase is upstairs gathering a family history and Cameron took a personal day today."

House harrumphed. _She took the bloody day off and didn't come to see me?_ he thought. _Guess the honeymoon is over…before the wedding even happened!_

…………………

Cameron had stayed at her apartment the entire day. She had told him the night before in House's hospital room that she needed to figure some things out before she gave him an answer. The truth was she needed to figure House out.

She called him. Within twenty minutes, the man was there. They sat down on her couch. She took a deep breath. "I like you. And I think there could be something here, but…"

"House," he interrupted, noticeably agitated.

She shook her head in agreement. "I have to talk to him before I do anything. As soon as he wakes up, I'll talk to him. You'll have your answer as soon as I have mine."

He stood up to leave. "You should talk to him, but there is one thing you should know. I don't like you."

Cameron's eyes swam with confusion. That confusion was about to turn to anger if he didn't explain himself.

"I love you, Allison."

Her usually set jaw dropped. She started to get off the couch, but he stayed her. "I know you feel more for House than you do me right now. But give me a chance and I can show you that you aren't missing anything with that guy," he said. His voice almost hummed as he spoke. She was stunned, but proud of his declaration.

He smiled at her. Like lightning, he reached down for her before she knew it and kissed her soundly yet softly on the lips. "I mean what I say, Allison," he whispered. "I love you."

The phone rang just as she was contemplating kissing him back. "Hold on," she laughed, grinning nervously. She picked up the phone and listened intently. With her free arm, she rubbed her neck. Her brow furrowed, she licked her lips. "Okay, thanks," she stated to the other line. Hanging up, she faced the man she had just kissed. Cameron found she couldn't directly look at him. Noticing he wore nice shoes, she stammered, "That was Foreman. House is awake."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4 Pride and Proposals

Chapter 4

"How are you feeling?"

He smiled, but refused to look directly at her. He didn't like being the patient. And he wasn't comfortable with Cameron seeing him like this. He had hated that Stacy saw him so weak, but for some reason, it even felt worse knowing Cameron was going through it now. He didn't want her to think even less of him than what she must now.

He answered, "Now that they've resumed pain killers, damn fine."

She nodded her head in affirmation and stepped closer to the bed. Foreman had told her over the phone that the ketamine had failed to work. Her heart sank low for him, but it also hurt her soul. Cameron knew there was not much chance of him grabbing her into his arms while he was still physically challenged. She didn't care about his leg, but he did. She knew that he thought everyone else did, too.

Sitting down in the chair next to him, she placed her elbows on her knees and inhaled deeply. She decided to sit back up. Her green eyes pierced right into his. "There is a man," she said. She then paused.

House's eyebrows rose. "From Kilimanjaro?"

She glared at him in the manner House had become fairly familiar with. She continued, "He's made me an offer."

House rolled his eyes. "You're not Jane Austen for crying out loud. You aren't going to lose the family estate if you don't marry him, are you?"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "He didn't propose," she barked, "but he's done a hell of a lot more than you have."

His eyes widened into that bewildered gaze he had so often given her. "Who is it?" House practically whispered.

Cameron knew that if she told him who it was, it would change the answer to the question she was about to ask. She looked at him squarely and said, "The person is attractive, has a good job, and is intelligent. Does that satisfy you?"

He knew she was baiting him. He secretly enjoyed it when she did, but this was becoming uncomfortably dangerous. "Wait a minute," he guffawed, smiling, "are you actually talking about Cuddy?" He snapped his fingers in disappointment. "I told her not to sleep with you. You know, unless I was present and all."

Despite herself, Cameron smiled as she looked down at the floor. She didn't know how much House ached every time she did that, that confident but bashful thing. Some of the times, thinking about being with her hurt more than his leg, but this pain tended to be welcome, considering it came with the fantasy.

He took her all in, the texture of her hair, the scent of her perfume, how her clothes perfectly fit on her body. His voice was the only sound in the room. "You don't love him."

As she looked back up, she declared, "I need to know how you feel before I give this man an answer. I owe all of us that. You owe us that."

He thought about it for a second. House had been so sure that she would be waiting at his side for him to wake up. She hadn't. All the old fears suffocated the dreams he had of her while he was sleeping. He couldn't make her happy, and he knew it.

His sky blue eyes hit hers. House drew a shaky breath, then uttered, "Go with this guy. He sounds like a regular Colin Firth."

"That's not an answer, House."

It was his turn to look down. Quietly he said, "Yes it is."

Although she had predicted it would happen, her head snapped back in surprise. House had rejected her again, for about the third time in roughly a year and a half. Her throat was thick, and she was afraid she might start gasping for air. Cameron's lips formed a straight line as she stood up from her chair. She didn't want to cry until she left the hospital.

She looked at him one last time before she fled the room. "Don't worry, House," she said, almost pushing each word from her mouth. "You'll never have to answer that question for me again. I'm sorry to have disturbed you while you are trying to recuperate. How selfish of me." Cameron turned around and stomped away.

He wanted to scream at her to stop, that he had lied, that all he wanted to do was kiss her and hold her. But he squeezed his eyes shut and let her go. Whoever this guy was, he had to be a better man than him.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5 TB and Angelina Jolie

Chapter 5

Cameron rushed home, feeling ashamed and unwanted. _No,_ she thought, holding back sobs, _someone does want me. _She slammed the car door shut and headed for her building. Shaking, she put the key in the lock and opened her apartment door. She had planned to wallow for a couple of hours. Cameron needed time to cry, to release the stress and tension that had been building for the last three days. Actually, it had been boiling for quite a lot longer than that. She would call him as soon as her heart was ready. But she was not going to get the needed privacy. As she swung the door back, she saw why. He was there, still sitting on the couch. His head was in his hands.

He stood up, and stepped towards her. "Allison, what happened?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

She marched toward him, grabbing his head with her hands. She pulled him down and kissed him. Cameron's lips massaged his, encouraging him to kiss her openly. It did not take too much pressuring. As her lips moved down to peck his neck, he regained some consciousness. "Allison," he heaved, overwhelmed, "are you sure?"

Cameron looked at him for a moment. She saw House looking down at her, his hands caressing her waist, his lips kissing hers. Blinking the vision from her mind, she saw the man who actually wanted to commit to her, that actually _wanted_ her. She dropped her hands that had been around his neck to the bottom of his shirt. She started to unbutton it. Cameron sighed, "Yes, I'm sure."

The man's face radiated pride and love. He lifted her from the ground and headed towards the bedroom, never taking his lips from hers.

………………………

This had been a lousy week for House. He had been shot. His leg still hurt as if "Gilda—The World's Largest Woman" was dancing on it. And he pushed away the only woman that had been able to put up with him over the last decade. In reality, Cameron meant a lot more to him than that. She was strong, beautiful, and witty. God didn't make women like her. She was pure fiction out of a novel. And he told her to get lost.

His head dropped back unto the pillow. He wasn't listening to _General Hospital_ as it bounced through the room. Squeezing his eyes shut, House could still see Cameron lying on that operating table. He remembered her holding her breath in anticipation as he brushed her cheek with the robotic arm, as he blew air on her stomach and clipped the button from her shirt. He sighed, praying that he could go back to sleep, hoping he would dream of her. House knew that hallucinations and fantasies were the only way he would ever be able to touch her now that he had monumentally screwed up. He didn't even touch her in his own dream—a robot did! What was wrong with him?

His thoughts were interrupted by an opening door. Wilson grinned as he entered the hospital room. "How's our favorite patient?" he asked.

House fixed him with a cross look. "Jubilant," he replied sarcastically. "I get a reprieve today." House was right. He would no longer be a patient by the end of the day.

Wilson checked his vitals and then handed him a sandwich. "You've already told me that," he said as he sat down next to the bed. "What you haven't told me is why the morphine we've given you isn't making you giddy like a schoolgirl." He took a bite of his own sandwich. "You also haven't told me why Cameron hasn't come to see you."

House unwrapped the cellophane from his lunch. House grumbled, "She's found someone. She asked me to tell her how I feel. I told her to go with him."

Wilson's mouth dropped. "You ass," he exclaimed. "You let her go."

House's eyes drifted far away in thought. "I bet it's that TB doctor from Africa. What was his name?" House asked pettily, "Mr. Whatever Angelina Jolie Can Do I Can Do Better?"

Wilson's eyebrows rose as he said, "I think you're losing it."

House was still on his tangent. "I don't see that guy adopting Brad Pitt…"

"You want her don't you?" Wilson asked softly.

He ignored the question, raising his head in thought. "Could be Foreman," he pondered aloud. "He's been way too gooey eyed ever since he nearly ate dirt."

Wilson stared at him. "House," he cried, "do you want her?"

House puffed out his breath. His head bent down. "Yes."

Wilson became so excited that he dropped his sandwich. "What are you waiting for?" He declared, "Go after her!"

House shook his head. "She's better off with him."

Wilson looked stupefied. "You don't even know who it is. And if she truly wanted to be with someone else, she wouldn't have asked you first. She wants you, idiot."

Frustrated, House barked, "She won't be happy with me."

Wilson looked at his friend and said quietly, "I don't think she'll be happy without you. Let her be the judge of her own happiness."

House was so quiet, Wilson almost didn't hear him. "Once I was with her, I don't think I could bear to lose her."

His friend nodded. He recalled the conversation he had with Cameron before her first date with House. He had almost told her as much. "I know," he said now. "That's why you have to make sure you won't lose her.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6 Breakfast at Allison's

Chapter 6

Cameron stretched as she lay in bed. She knew she should feel content. She wanted too so badly. If House didn't want her, that should not stop her from being happy. _Come on, Allison_, she thought, _there is a loving man in your bed. What more could you want?_ Well, she noticed as she rolled over, he wasn't actually in her bed. Her brows came together as she reached for the clock. Eleven o'clock on a Friday morning. She would normally be at work by now, but Cuddy had generously given them this day off because of the strain of the shooting and surgery. It had been ten days since House was shot. It had been several since House rejected her. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and stretched again. The smell of bacon wafted by her, and she could now vaguely hear the radio playing in the living room. Putting on his shirt and a pair of track shorts, she drifted that way.

"Good morning," he beamed as he placed a big plate of eggs and bacon down on the table for her. As she sat down, he said, "I love your choice of dress, very fashionable."

He kissed her as he bent down. She found herself putting her hands around the back of his head and passionately kissing him back. "We better stop," he growled, "or we'll never eat."

"Let's starve," she practically purred as her hands glided down the back of his legs.

The man pulled himself away from her and sat down across the table. His smile drifted away until his face looked solemn. "We haven't talked about House."

Her fork clattered onto the plate. Cameron's hands clenched over her mouth. Looking into his eyes, she mumbled, "He said he didn't have feelings for me. And I came home to you."

His lips curved into a small smile. "I'm glad," he said quietly.

She took a deep breath as her eyes dropped to her eggs. "I don't think we should tell him about us. Not until he's better."

Cameron noticed him grimace. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "Why wait if he doesn't care for you?"

She shook her head. "Because it's the right thing to do."

He opened his mouth to speak, but there was a knock at the door.

For the second time in one week, she told him, "Hold that thought."

The man kissed her swiftly one last time then said, "I'm going to go to the bathroom."

She got up and reached for the door handle. As she twisted the knob, she realized that the knock on the door had been more of a _bang, bang, bang_, as if a solid object was hitting against the door.

If she hadn't have been an atheist, she would have prayed. She pulled the door open.

"House?"

TBC


	7. Chapter 7 Who Da Man?

Chapter 7

Cameron opened the door just far enough so that he couldn't see inside. She held one hand on the door and the other on the doorframe. "What are you doing here? They let you out?" she asked.

House just smiled at her. "What are your dreams, hopes, and aspirations?"

Now she really looked puzzled. She tried to straighten her bed-head hair with her hand. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled again, but more self-consciously as he looked at the floor and then back at her. "A wise man once told me that was a definite panty-peeler," he said.

She shuffled her feet and repeated, "What are you doing here, House?"

Those blue eyes looked right at her. She looked absolutely beautiful in that shirt and those shorts. The morning light suited her. Everything suited her. House was hoping he did, too. House blurted, "Don't date the doctor from Africa. You don't know where he's been. Well, I guess you do know—he's been in Africa, but you get my figure of speech here, right?"

She blinked a few times and pursed her lips. "Huh?"

House sighed out of frustration, his head jerking in the way it always did when he wanted to do something but didn't know how to go about it. "I mean that I lied," he finally answered.

Cameron harrumphed. "Everybody lies, right?"

House smiled a little as he realized his own lessons were coming back to bite him in the butt. "I guess I am no exception," he replied. "I just…I just wanted to tell you that this guy, whoever he is, is a mistake."

She folded her arms. "What are you trying to say, House?"

Her green eyes were too much. He had to look into them. House had the sudden urged to know what they looked like by firelight, but he pushed that thought away and journeyed on, saying, "I'm saying that it might be a mistake to be with me too, but maybe we…"

She was practically panting for the rest of his sentence. "What?" she asked. "We should what?"

His thought was gone. House's eyes squinted as his brows furrowed. "You're clenched," he told her. "Why? You only clench when there's a prob—"

"Allison, who's at the door?" a familiar voice asked from inside the apartment, cutting House off.

_Oh, no_, House thought, his fist tightening around the handle of his cane. _I'm too late._

The man came to stand right behind Cameron. He wore only a pair of jeans. House realized that the shirt he had thought looked so good on her was this man's. He could use some Vicodin about now.

"Dr. House," the man said with way too much testosterone and manly pride. "Hope you're feeling better."

He looked straight at the younger man with every intention to bludgeon him to death if he had the chance. Why did he think he ever stood a chance?

House finally responded to the man's greeting. "Dr. Chase."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8 The Lightening Bolt

Chapter 8

House stared at Chase's gloating face. The older doctor looked as if he had been hit in the gut. For once, he was not sure what to say.

At last Cameron broke the uneasy silence. While still looking at House, Cameron said, "He got out of the hospital today. Clean bill of health."

Chase scoffed, his blues eyes gleaming at his rival's. "I figured that, Allison, since he's here and all."

House didn't like the tone of voice Chase took with her and he damn well didn't like that he got to call her Allison. It was just one more blow to the gut. Shifting his weight to accommodate his leg, he said, "Smart deduction, Colin." He looked down at Cameron and smiled, saying, "I was close enough. The guy's British, right?"

Chase neared the door. "Excuse me?"

Cameron's eyes almost bugged out of her head. She could still here House last remarks to her before she left the hospital. _Go with this guy. He sounds like a regular Colin Firth._ Not sure whether she was choking back tears, laughter, or both, she interjected, "House, I apologize for my—our—rudeness. Do you want to come in?" She didn't actually want him to come in, not like this. Cameron longed to hear what House had been about to say.

House's eyes flitted from Cameron's face to Chase's. Shaking his head, he said, "No, I better go and take some drugs or have wild sex or something. What does one do after one almost kicks the bucket? Maybe I should ask Foreman…"

Chase frowned when he saw that Cameron was quietly laughing at House's joke. She became serious as her eyes warmed to House's. For the second time since she had invoked this entire mess, she stuck her chin up and her hand out saying, "Goodbye, House."

It was rife with meaning and that wasn't lost on House. This time, he took her hand. Both seemed to forget Chase was there. Squeezing it more than shaking her hand, he ever so slightly pulled her forward and lowered his head down to hers. His lips almost grazed her ear as he said in almost a whisper, "You can unclench now." Cameron sucked in a breath of air. She wanted to smile because he knew her so well. No one else had. Not even her husband. Not Joe. She wanted him to kiss her as she had kissed him in the hospital. She wanted to cry because he had changed his mind too late. Cameron could not let him play with their hearts like that. She would not.

Chase's eyebrows shot up and he opened his mouth to speak, but House simply looked at him. "Goodbye, Dr. Chase. Goodbye, Allison."

House had not planned on calling her by her first name. She had not expected it. But a jolt went through them both at the sound of her name as if the same lighting bolt had struck them at the same time. If Chase had not been there, neither assumed they could have been held responsible for their actions. Each was simultaneously picturing those actions in their minds. Their eyes met as they smiled sadly at each other in resignation.

House limped down the long hall. Cameron watched him go for only a second, then closed the door.

……………………

Foreman felt left out. Chase loved Cameron. Cameron loved House. Foreman was pretty sure House loved House. Wilson still followed House around like a stupid baby goose that thinks a dog is its mother. And Cuddy. Well, Cuddy was just acting stranger than her normally strange self.

Foreman was the only one from the team that hadn't taken the day off for stress release. Work calmed his nerves. He liked being in the hospital. He had a life; he wasn't a loser, but the hospital was the one constant. It didn't change. There would always be patients. There would always be cases to solve.

He needed to see Wilson today. He was almost positive his patient had cancer and he wanted the specialist's opinion. As he walked down the corridor to Wilson's office, he realized he was grateful he had never fallen for Allison Cameron. That seemed to only bring tragedy. He did still credit her as a friend, though. He felt guilty about how he had treated her this last month. Foreman looked forward to the day that that was behind them. Chase had told him two days ago that he was with Cameron. He felt happy for the other man, but he worried about him, too. He knew House was as powerful to Cameron as Vicodin was to House and he thought House felt the same about her. If his feelings weren't that strong yet, they were pretty close.

Foreman thought that he should invite Chase and Cameron out sometime. He knew it would be important to support the relationship. He was thinking about all the weirdness there would be Monday morning in the office as he opened Wilson's door.

His eyes were not ready for what they saw on the other side of that door. _I should learn to knock more_, he thought as he gaped at the vision in front of him. _Talk about weirdness._

TBC


	9. Chapter 9 Babies and Broken Dreams

Chapter 9

What Dr. Foreman saw had actually begun about twenty minutes prior to his interruption.

Cuddy had knocked on Wilson's office door late that Friday morning. The oncologist told her to come in. He was studying the papers on his desk so he did not immediately notice Cuddy's puffy eyes and saddened face. She walked into the room. Wringing her hands, she asked, "Do you want to get some lunch?"

His head rose in surprise. Cuddy has always been a bit of a mystery. In all these years at PPTH, he wasn't even sure she ate lunch. _It was a date_, he thought with excitement, but then he saw how pale she was. "Dr. Cuddy, is something wrong?" he asked.

She fell into the chair in front of him, lifting her hands to cover her face. Wilson could see that she was crying. "Dr. Cuddy?"

"He loves her, doesn't he?"

Cuddy had been so still that the question startled Wilson. Her stunning blue eyes looked desperately at him, waiting for an answer. Her peach lips turned into that frown of hers that always broke his heart. Wilson was pretty sure who she was talking about, but he was afraid that he was right. He did not want to be right. "Who?" he asked.

She looked as if she had lost a game that he was completely unaware of. "House," she murmured. "He loves Cameron."

His heart dropped. He was right, but he still played it as he would with his patients. Wilson was the master communicator. That was probably how he got three women to marry him, but he couldn't think about that now. "What makes you think so?" Wilson prodded.

Cuddy looked down at her designer shoes. In thirty-eight years she had collected a lot of shoes, but no people—at least none she could count as hers. "I went to check on him this morning," she answered solemnly. "I asked him how he was."

Wilson was failing to see the point. "So what happened?"

Cuddy replied, "House didn't even answer me. He just asked me if I had ever seen Foreman hitting on Cameron. When I told him I hadn't, he asked me if I had hit on Cameron." She looked mystified.

Wilson shrugged, saying, "He's always trying to get under your skin. I'm sure that…"

Cuddy shook her head vigorously. "No," she said. "He was dead serious this time. He loves her."

It wasn't a question, but Wilson answered her as he sighed. "Yes he does."

She broke out crying again. In between sobs, she squeaked, "I wanted him to be the father of my baby."

"What!" he cried. Thoughts zoomed through his mind. Did House know? Why hadn't he told him? What hurt the most was Wilson's lack of importance in this situation._ It wasn't a date_, he thought dejectedly. When he calmed down, he said quietly, "You love House."

Her tears cut off like someone had come and shut the tap off a water hose. "You think I love House?" she choked. "Hell, no. I just needed a donor."

Wilson could not hide his smile. She didn't love House. He put his hands to his mouth as he leaned towards her. "Why House?"

She stared at him for a few moments, debating whether she should be honest. Laying it all on the table, she said, "Because House is brilliant, formerly athletic, and not emotionally involved." She took a breath, then continued, "And I didn't think you would want to be the father."

His eyebrows rose as he shifted back in his chair. Vainly trying to pretend he was still calm, he asked, "Why? I love kids."

She nodded in agreement. "Exactly. You're the 2.4 kids with a dog sort of guy. You're a Commitment Man—until you cheat of course."

He flinched at her bluntness. "Is there a point or did you come to completely crucify me?" he asked.

Cuddy put her head back down and closed her eyes. "No," she answered quietly, "I just meant that I didn't think you would want to commit to me."

Wilson nearly stifled a laugh. "Are you serious?" he exclaimed. "You're beautiful, talented, hard-working. And if any woman can put up with House as long as you have, then I know you can certainly handle my baggage. I'm surprised House didn't tell you how disappointed I was that dinner wasn't a date."

Cuddy shook her head as if to clear it. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Wilson let out a gust of air. "Because I thought you wanted House," he sighed.

"Let Cameron have him. No one else will," she said jokingly.

They smiled at each other until they realized the implications of what just happened. At the same time, they stood up from their chairs and kissed over the desk. Wilson guided Cuddy around it, backing her towards the wall. As soon as her back touched it, his body came up next to hers as he caressed her neck with his hand.

Foreman opened the door wide, pausing in the doorway when he saw Dr. Cuddy and Dr. Wilson kissing. He noticed that they had begun to shuffle and remove clothing. His bottom lip dropped to say something but appropriate words could not be found. Cuddy's jaw had dropped considerably as well. She quickly turned her back to Foreman and straightened her outfit. When she was finished, she let her head fall onto the file cabinet next to her as she tried not to have a panic attack. Wilson shuffled from Cuddy to Foreman and back to Cuddy.

Foreman finally broke uncomfortable silence. Unfortunately, nothing he could do would make it any less uncomfortable. He smirked as he set his patient's file on Wilson's desk. "I'm just gonna leave that there." Foreman's tone was mockingly bright. "You can read that later."

Wilson waved a hand of acknowledgement at the other doctor. As Foreman turned to leave, House busted through. He had just been at Cameron's apartment and he needed some relief. He needed to talk to Wilson. House stopped so suddenly when he realized what was going on, he had swayed forward. "Well, this is just wrong," he said with a frown. "Seems every woman that wanted me last week has turned to another shoulder." Looking at Foreman for some camaraderie, he said, "No one can get shot around here. You wake up like Rip Van freakin' Winkle with no damn idea what's going on." He hmphed, but everything had been a dramatic show. He, too, turned to leave, but turned back to address Cuddy. "When you're not playing 'Seven Minutes of Heaven in an Office' with my best friend, I'd thought you'd like to know I'm coming back to work. Like now."

Cuddy finally came back to life. She protested, "House, you can't go back to work yet. It's too soon."

House clucked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "No, it's too soon to start clinic duty." He put one hand to his heart and used the other to wipe a fake tear. "That would just be much too stressful," he feigned and then became serious as he stared at Cuddy and Wilson. "I need to work."

Foreman departed and House followed, declaring, "You two can go back to fondling each other now. This is only a hospital. No lives need be saved here." He shut the door and headed for his office to forget his life at present.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10 Rebel Yell

Chapter 10

Ten minutes after discovering Cuddy and Wilson, House was lying on the floor with his leg propped up on the chair blaring rock music in his office as he usually did in deep thought. His eyes closed, he played an air guitar to the music.

Wilson walked in, laughing at the scene. "Isn't this Billy Idol?"

House didn't open his eyes. Still moving his fingers as if playing the guitar, he answered, "Specifically, it's the live acoustic version of Rebel Yell. Absolutely beautiful."

Wilson sat down in the chair by House's desk. "Why are you listening to it?"

House's face scrunched as if the answer was obvious. "I have angst. Duh."

His friend just stared at him, smirking. "Maybe you're thinking about a certain "little angel coming to your door."

House abruptly shut off the CD player and pulled himself up to rest his back on the sofa. His eyes darted around the room at anything but Wilson. He said, "She won't be coming to my door. She's with Chase now."

……………………………

It was a few minutes after noon. House had left Cameron's apartment about an hour ago. Chase went out to grab some lunch to bring back.

She needed time to think. She felt so stupid. If Cameron had just waited, House would have come to her and Chase wouldn't have gotten hurt as much as he would now. She had felt insecure and unwanted and she had run to Chase. Cameron desperately wished she was stronger, not as emotional. She was also angry not only at herself, but at House. If he would have come to his damn senses and not pushed her away, there wouldn't be a problem. She wasn't about to let him get away with toying with all of their emotions by rushing to his arms. Cameron had made her choice and she planned to stick to it. Needing to work out her tension, she turned on her cd player and put on some exercise clothes. Cameron started to run on her treadmill.

As Chase entered the apartment, he gave Cameron a funny look. "You realize it's no longer the '80s, right?" he shouted over the music. "Rebel Yell is as dead as Hamlet's father."

"Do you know how British you sound?" she asked as she kept running.

Chase frowned. "I'm Australian," he whined. _She's been around House way too long_, he thought.

She smiled. "Then you shouldn't allude to Shakespeare. Besides, the true classics never die."

He finally smiled back at her as he placed out the food on the table. "And you're revisiting the land of the acid-wash jeans why?" Chase teased.

Cameron joked, "What can I say, I have angst."

He laughed at her joke, but secretly worried that it might be true.

………………………

"What!" Wilson cried. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, but recently surprises were coming in bushels.

House nodded at his friend. "I got there too late. Chase was there. With his shirt off."

Wilson wanted to stay positive, probably because his life had just hit a high note. "Well," he said, "maybe he spilled something on it and…"

"Cameron was wearing it." House closed his eyes again.

"Oh," Wilson said, the wind clearly out of his sails. He soon puffed back up. "Chase? Chase! You can take Chase, man."

House scoffed, "Have you met Chase? He's a kitten. Cameron eats that kitten stuff up."

Wilson's eyes warmed as he looked at his friend. For all his bluster, he had little confidence in himself and there was no reason for it. "If that were true, she wouldn't have pursued you for so long. She could have been with Chase for months now, but she wants you."

House dropped his head as his shoulders slumped. "Maybe she'll change her mind now that she's with him."

"Now that she's with Chase?" he exclaimed. "Please. He's nothing but pretty hair and big eyes. He must go through conditioner and toothpaste like mad."

House smirked at his friend's comment. His eyes down, he said quietly, "I miss her. I've never even had her and I miss her. Is that crazy?"

Wilson shook his head. "No," he said, "it's love. And you know it."

House nodded introspectively. He needed to figure out his next move. Another thought dragged him out of his reverie. "So what's it like to make out with Cuddy?" he asked. His face got serious. "Is it scary?"

TBC


	11. Chapter 11 Because of You

Chapter 11

The weekend dragged until it was finally Monday. House was ready. When he had tried to steal a woman before, he hadn't cared about the other man. Mark meant nothing to him. He had just been a stumbling block in his path. But this time was different. Despite appearances, he respected Chase. The younger man wasn't a great doctor yet, but he had the potential, and House knew it. He was a good kid, just lost most of the time.

House was standing by the whiteboard early that morning, waiting for everyone to come to work. He tapped his cane on the floor repeatedly, his eyes trained at the office door. Cameron was there first. _That's a good sign_, he thought. _Means he doesn't sleep over every night._ She gave him a half-smile as she went into the room but avoided much eye contact. Cameron was determined to free herself from the fog her head always entered when House was in the same room.

It didn't seem to be working, however. Without even thinking, she went to the coffee pot, which House had already started, and poured two cups of coffee. She walked towards House and gave him his red cup. His hand touched hers as he took the cup. As their eyes flew to meet each other, she realized she had made a dire mistake. House, on the other hand, was beginning to believe his mission was going to be easier than he thought. His eyes looked like warm, blue flames as he gave her an equally warm smile. His lips had curled into an honest, unaffected grin. Cameron couldn't pull her own eyes away from his face. The serenity it projected reminded her of his peaceful sleeping when he had been in the hospital. She had never thought he could look that happy. Besides happiness, she also noticed an unmistakable yearning. Cameron had never seen anything look as beautiful or handsome as his face at that moment.

"Thank you," he almost whispered. His voice was raspy and calm.

The air felt thick to Cameron. She could barely breathe. Cameron had meant to tell him he was welcome, but instead she leaned closer to him and began to say, "House, I nee—"

"Do we have a sick patient in need of help today?" Chase interrupted. Cameron noticed he was scowling, but she wasn't sure why. She didn't know that Chase had only been a few minutes behind her. A nurse had stopped him just outside the office to ask him a question. He had witnessed the entire scene. An office isn't that private when made from glass walls.

Cameron spun from House, took her coffee and sat down on the opposite side of Chase. House hadn't even flinched. He took a sip of coffee. "You mean we actually get patients that need our help, too? That's good news. It's always more fun when they're sick," he mocked.

Chase didn't find it funny. He tended to glare at House for the rest of the day. Later that day, House had sent Foreman and Chase to do an MRI on their patient. He had given Cameron a job in the lab. About five minutes after she entered to do the test, House followed her into the room. _Showtime_, he thought, taking a deep breath.

Cameron had decided to fight tough the rest of the day with him. Without looking up from the microscope, she nearly quaked as she asked, "What do you want, House?"

"You."

It was so simple, quiet, direct that she almost dropped the slide. She had waited roughly two years for this man, and for the first time, he was telling her how he felt. Cameron didn't know what to say, so House continued. "I'm sorry that I let you go that day at the hospital. I thought you were better off without me, but it was unfair of me to choose for you. And I know it's cruel to bring it up now that you're with Chase, but you should know."

Cameron could feel her heart thumping with joy because of the proclamation, but her blood was also racing with anger. Her jaw started to stiffen and House knew he was in trouble. She said, "I've asked you for the past year and a half how you feel and you refuse to tell me until someone was actually man enough to tell me? Why now, House?"

"I had a dream about you."

Again, it was so out of context that she didn't know what to say. House stepped closer to her, saying, "When I was out last week. I had a dream about touching you, but I couldn't even do that in my dream." He sighed remorsefully, slightly embarrassed to reveal so much. "I wanted to. I wanted to kiss you. To make you sigh."

She started to say something but he stopped her when he put his hand on her shoulder. "Even after that dream, I still let you go. But then I realized that I didn't want to live the rest of my life with that dream only. I had thought you should be with someone better than me. I know I'm not good enough to be with you," he said looking straight at her with pleading eyes, "but I want to try to be even better than good enough. It's what you deserve. Chase can give you that easy, but I _want_ to try."

Her jaw relaxed. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't want to hurt him," she murmured.

House took in a deep breath and looked away. "You'll hurt him more if you keep lying to him."

Cameron's eyes flashed anger. House quickly realized that, in this instance, green didn't mean go. "I have his best interests at heart. Don't try to manipulate me like you did Stacy—like you do your patients. You can't con yourself into my heart, House."

She stomped towards the door. As she swung it open, she heard him say, "That's because I'm already there."

She gritted her teeth and slammed the door shut as she raced into the corridor. Still upset, she ran right into Chase. Cameron gasped as her body hit his. "Allison, are you all right?" he asked. He could see her face was flushed and she was almost quivering with anger. "What happened?"

Cameron shook her head to calm down. Clearing her throat, she tried to smile when she looked up at him. "I'm fine," she lied. "I just got some disappointing news from the lab."

Chase took her word for it. Smiling sweetly, he bent his head down to peck her on the lips. As he picked his head back up, he watched House limp away from the lab.

……………………

Cameron chided herself for lying to Chase. She was also irritated that House had predicted she would. She needed time away from both of them, time to think. She loved House, but what if she was another puzzle to him? What would happen if he figured her out? Cameron knew he liked her now, but she could have a future with Chase.

As she pulled out her keys to get into her car, her lungs pushed out a gush of wind. "Damn."

……………………………

House needed some liquor. He wasn't sure what Cameron's next move would be. As he moved into the kitchen of his apartment, he lamented on Wilson's disappearance. When he was married, House saw him all the time. Now that he had been with Cuddy for the last three days, Wilson only checked in with him. The frequent dinners they shared were going to dwindle now that Cuddy was boss of more than the hospital.

He popped some Vicodin in his mouth, grabbed a glass of whiskey, and headed for his bedroom. House wanted to forget he was alone. Again.

Stretched out on his bed, he sipped the drink. As he drifted to sleep, his last thoughts were of what it would be like if Cameron had been laying next to him.

……………………

House was yanked from the blackness of sleep by a continual knocking on his door. Hauling himself up from his bed, he hobbled into the living room.

The knocking continued. Still trying to clear his head, he hollered, annoyed, "I'm coming. Try not to splinter your hand."

As he put his hand on the knob, House realized Cameron might be on the other side. His chest ached at the thought as his heart banged excitedly inside him. The doctor smoothed his hair with his hand and then grabbed the doorknob again. Pulling the door open, the sight on the other side of it caused his heart to thump even harder.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12 Bruises

Chapter 12

But House wasn't about to show Chase that he had any affect on him. "I told the agency I didn't want any more cute blondes." He shook his head. "Hookers," he added with an 'ain't that the truth expression' on his face.

"Stop messing with Cameron's head," Chase said, glowering at House.

"Do you know why I employ you as a doctor on my team and not as my maid?" House asked with a straight face. "So that you're never at my house."

Chase's fists clenched at his sides as his lip jutted out in its normal fashion when agitated. House walked over to his piano bench and started playing. Without an invitation, Chase stepped in the room. "Stop messing with Cameron's head," he demanded.

House did not even turn around. His fingers gracefully kept stroking the keys as if he was massaging the music from the instrument. "I can't get inside her head if she doesn't want me there," he stated calmly, but inside his mind raced. House knew Cameron's reaction to him must be evident to Chase.

The younger doctor shifted his weight as he licked his lips. "She's a novelty to you. You know she'll be happier with me."

House finally stopped playing. He got up from his seat and narrowed the distance between him and the other man. Those blue eyes focused on Chase. "I used to think that," he said, "but I'm tired of making everyone miserable. I don't want to do that to her."

"You're doing a bang-up job so far, mate," Chase sneered. His eyebrows raised in mock agreement. "She's writing odes and sonnets to her giddiness right now."

House had had enough. He practically snarled, "She should be with you? You are quite a catch. You only have to take advantage of chemically induced chicks or women grieving over someone else's sick bed to get someone to sleep with you. What a guy!"

Chase was determined to wipe the angry smirk from House's face. He spoke quietly, but cut to the quick. "Do you know what it's like to kiss her? Touch her? To be with her so completely, nothing else matters? It's a shame you never will, House," he said. Then, he leaned in and flashed him his best bedside manner smile, saying, "It's truly fantastic."

Chase didn't have time to react. House swung back and hit him so hard, so fast in the face that he stumbled into a chair and fell down. House was glad he had taken the extra Vicodin, or else it would have hurt like hell. His knuckles were already swelling and tingled. His words spat out in a hoarse cry. "You don't deserve her. Don't you ever disrespect her like that again."

Chase picked himself up and grabbed his head. He blinked a few times at House, not fully believing what just happened.

House gripped his cane so hard that his fingernails stabbed the palm of his hand. He waited for a reaction, but Chase just nodded and went out the still open apartment door.

The older doctor slammed the door shut, then collapsed in the closest chair. House knew he should go into the kitchen and put ice on his hand, but he felt like his life force had been ripped out rolled down a bowling alley. Then something strange happened. He chuckled. _Cameron hates sports metaphors_, he thought. It had been a long time since he had thought about the little pieces to somebody's puzzle, the tiny things that made them who they were. Sure, he had done it to save his patients' lives, but he had stopped caring about those details, at least where romantic entanglements were involved. House avoided knots as much as possible. But now, he was ready to get tangled, to place those more difficult pieces.

He drifted back to sleep in his chair, comforted with the thought that Cameron and Wilson would both be proud of him.

…………………………

Chase's eye stung as if little pellets were lodged into his cheekbone. He had to hand it to House. The man could take a swing. That hard a swing only meant one thing: he really did love Cameron.

He wheeled into a parking lot and shut off the car. Inside the convenient store he had stopped at, he bought a case of beer. Chase had a feeling he might need it.

The young doctor knew he had screwed up. He shouldn't have played with Allison's emotions as he had, but deep down he had vainly thought that if he could just be with her, she would want to be with him, too. Getting back into his car, he headed home. Chase could not pull House from her, and in a cruel twist of fate, House had actually had an epiphany when the death toll nearly sounded. No one, especially Chase, had seen that coming.

As he stepped from his car in front of his building, he squinted his eye to try to relieve the pain. Chase shifted his beer to rest on his hip more as he walked towards his home. He was trying to use his cell phone with one hand, but since one eye was out of commission, he was having difficulties seeing what he was doing. Eventually he successfully called the person he wanted to reach.

"Hello?" the voice on the other line answered.

"We need to talk," he responded before he hung up the phone.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13 Beer and Women

Chapter 13

Chase opened the door, handing a beer to the person across the threshold. He took a swig of his own and sat down at his kitchen table.

"Chase, you better have a damn good reasoning for calling me tonight," Foreman said as he shut the door and followed his friend to the table. "I had the most amazing nurse in my apartment."

Chase spun the bottle in his hand as he softly laughed. When Foreman took a seat across from his friend, he finally noticed the nasty bruise under his eye. "What happened to you, man?" he asked as he opened his drink.

"House hit me."

Foreman choked on the alcohol in his mouth. He couldn't contain his laughter. "Did he poke you with his cane, too?" he snickered.

"It's not funny," Chase whined. "I told him to get away from Cameron. I made a comment he didn't appreciate and he struck me."

Foreman sobered, giving his friend a critical look. "You didn't call me at 11: 30 on a Monday night to tell me House knocked you out. What is it?" he asked, his eyebrow raising.

Chase sighed and took another sip of his beer. "I don't think Cameron wants to be with me."

Foreman shook his head, arguing, "But she chose you."

Chase looked away, embarrassed and exasperated. "Because House _didn't_ choose her. Now that he says he wants her, I think she'll change her mind."

Foreman put his elbows on the table and leaned in, saying, "Chase, I still don't know why I'm sitting here drinking from your fine supply of booze."

Chase gave another small smile as he looked at the obviously cheap beer. "I need to know what I should do."

The other doctor nodded as he thought about this information. "If you have to think about it, if you'd rather talk to me about it than Cameron, maybe you shouldn't be together."

Chase was almost inaudible as he looked straight at Foreman with his big, expressive eyes. "I love her."

"Do you want her just as much as you love her?" Foreman asked.

Chase nodded.

Foreman waved his hand outward. "Then you've answered your own question," he said. "Fight for her."

TBC


	14. Chapter 14 Time to Talk

Chapter 14

Cameron was getting ready for work early that Tuesday morning. It hadn't seemed like two and a half weeks had gone by since House was shot, or since she and Chase had started dating. She had said yes to Chase to put an end to the chaos her life and emotions had become. Chase was safer and more dependable than House. For what seemed like forever, House had given her all the right signals, but when pushed for a direct answer he ran. Until, of course, he had a dream. A dream! She had to admit it was romantic, but incredibly frustrating. The chaos she thought would be quelled seemed to be getting worse. Her stomach still swirled when House entered a room and Chase was trying not to look worried, although it was obvious that he was.

Stepping out of the shower, Cameron knew what she had to do today. She had made up her mind who she wanted to be with and she had to make both Chase and House understand that they had to live with the consequences. The young woman picked out her favorite outfit and put it on. While fixing her hair, she heard a knock at the door.

Once she got to the front of her apartment, Cameron opened the door. Her smile faded as she saw the man standing across from her. "What the hell happened to you?"

Chase's long eyelashes swept his cheeks as he shut his eyes and rubbed his face. "House. House happened to me."

He had brought her flowers, but they were ignored as she pulled him in and sat him down on her couch. Cameron's fingers lightly brushed his cheek as she examined the black eye. Chase grabbed her hand and held it against his face. She didn't have to question him further. Chase continued, "I went to see House last night. I told him to stop getting in your head. The conversation got heated, and he didn't like what he heard."

Cameron slipped her hand from underneath his and placed it in her lap. "He can't get to me unless I let him," she admonished.

The words stabbed at his gut, the pain being worse than that from the punch. Her words eerily echoed House's comment last night. Chase wasn't stupid. It was clear yesterday at work that their boss was affecting her, which by their logic, meant Cameron was letting him. But Chase remembered Foreman's words from the night before as well. _Fight for her_.

He flashed her a bright smile, beaming, "That's not why I came this morning. I thought we could get some breakfast and then go into work together. How does that sound?"

Cameron put her hand over his. "Actually—"

"I also had something else to ask you. Have you heard about the new charity ball that is going to be thrown for the hospital Friday?" Chase interrupted. He radiated all things charming as he added, "Would you be my date?"

Cameron squeezed his hand. "Chase, I need to tell you something."

………………………

House arrived early to work on Tuesday. The nurses noticed the _thump_ of his cane on the linoleum was uncharacteristically faster, as if there was a spring in his step. Cameron and Chase had to be unraveling, and they had not even been together for three weeks yet. Although he was afraid that his manly distribution of violence would endear Cameron to Chase, he hoped that he could turn the tide.

Wilson saddled up next to House, heading for his office. "You are quite dapper and sunny this morning," Wilson acknowledged. Then his eyes went wide as he smiled in a 'fraternity brothers' manner. "Way to go. You had sex last night!"

House kept up his steady pace. "Nope. I punched Chase."

Wilson nearly tripped over his feet and could have fallen over his bottom lip, which had considerably dropped. Once he composed himself, he said, "Let me guess. Chase told you to walk away from Cameron. You told him to bite you. He got even pettier and you hit him."

House finally stopped, his cane skidding at the suddenness. "Do you bug my apartment?" he asked, scrunching his face.

Wilson waved his hands in denial of the accusation. "Only a camera in your living room. Lisa refuses to know what goes on in the more interesting areas of your home."

House raised his eyebrows. "'Lisa,' is it? Two weeks and you've already found pet names. Adorable. What's yours? 'Mr. Dimple-Bottom'?

"How ever could you have guessed?" Wilson asked dryly as they entered the elevator.

"I'm going to ask Cameron to the ball."

Wilson swayed against the elevator wall. "You better kiss her before midnight. I've heard of terrible pumpkin tragedies."

House's baby blues scolded Wilson with a stare. "To the charity ball," he sighed.

"What about Chase?" Wilson asked seriously this time. His lips had formed a small, straight line.

House twirled his cane, then said, "If she says yes, then there no longer is a Chase to worry about."

……………………

As the team gathered around the bonfire, or in this instance, the whiteboard, House could not tell how Cameron and Chase stood with each other. Both were jovial and kind to one another. They had walked into the conference room together, laughing. Chase did not even seem to harbor any violent tendencies towards House. He became more and more agitated as the morning crept by.

Once House gave them their orders and sent them on their way, he turned to stare at the dry-erase board. He put his hand to his mouth. When he did eventually turn around, he jumped at the sight of Cameron sitting there quietly alone at the table. Her arms crossed, she smirked at him.

His body grew warm as he thought about how long she must have stared at him when his back was to her. Trying to push that thought away, he asked, "Why are you still here? I gave you a job to do."

Her green eyes sparkled. House thought he could see a faint smile. "You hit him."

Doing his best impersonation of a second-grader, he whined, "His face hit my hand first."

"I'm sure," she mocked.

"He got what was coming to him," he said, remembering the words Chase had uttered to deserve the blow.

Cameron just rolled her eyes. House went to her and picked her up by the arms from her chair. She bumped into him as his face got seductively close to hers. He looked down at her lips. Cameron watched his eyes focus on every detail of her face. They finally drifted back to her eyes. He was still holding her arms softly. She had worn one of her short-sleeved pantsuits, so his fingers grazed her smooth skin. Cameron had put her hand on House's chest when he had hauled her up in order to balance herself. She could feel the softness of the cotton t-shirt under his jacket. She could just make out the texture of hair underneath the shirt. Neither could catch their breath from the impact that touch had.

"Will you go to the dance with me Friday night?" House whispered. His face shined at the irony and chasteness of the question. He had tried to say it playfully like they were still in high school, but the importance of the question to him prevented that.

Cameron looked up into his eyes. Hers were filled with surprise from the question. She took a deep breath and said, "No."

He tore himself from her and turned around. Deep down, he had thought that the past couple of days had made an impact. Now, his soul sank down further into the abyss. Maybe she didn't really want him anymore. With his back to her, he muttered, "So you're going with Chase."

Cameron shook her head. "No. I broke things off with Chase this morning."

TBC


	15. Chapter 15 A Trick Up the Sleeve

Chapter 15

"She dumped you?" Foreman asked as they waited for test results.

Chase turned to him. "I never realized how empathetic you are. Truly, you are a saint."

The other doctor laughed at the sarcasm. "What happened?"

Chase was still reliving the scene in his mind. He had come with flowers and the promise of breakfast. Cameron had told him she had something to say.

"_I don't think we should see each other anymore." Cameron looked straight at him, never flinching._

"_Why?" Chase was incredulous. He was the one that got hit, and she was going to run off with House? Chase couldn't believe it. "Why?" he repeated. "Because of House?"_

_Cameron inhaled deeply. "Because it's not fair to you. You are trying to give me your whole heart, and I can't give mine to you in return. I love House and that's not going to stop because I want it to. I have no right to continue seeing you under false pretense."_

_Chase looked down at his hands and nodded. He knew he had to remain calm. "Despite everything," he said, "I still want you as my friend. Just be happy, Allison. That's all I want."_

_Cameron's brows rose. She hadn't expected it to go this well. "Thank you, Chase. I want you to be happy, too."_

_Chase squeezed her knee and then got up from the couch. "Why don't you still have breakfast with me? As friends?"_

_She consented, but looked apprehensive as she thought about the implications of the invitation._

"You let things end that easily? What happened to fighting for her?" Foreman asked after Chase had communicated the morning's events.

"I am fighting for her," Chase said with a sly grin. "What's going to happen? She'll run to House and he'll self-destruct within days."

"You mean like you did?" Foreman asked with a glint in his eyes.

Chase ignored the dig. "If I continue to be the nice guy, the best friend, then she'll come to me when he acts like the jerk that he is."

Foreman folded his arms over his chest. "What if he isn't a jerk?"

Chase smiled again. "He will be."

…………………………

"What do you mean you broke things off with Chase this morning?" House asked as he limped towards his office.

Following close behind him, she answered. "I told him that it is unfair of me to keep dating him when…"

Cameron's words trailed off, so House finished them for her. "When you have feelings for me."

Cameron's brows furrowed. "Is it just me, or did our roles reverse somehow?"

House chuckled at the observation. As he sat down at his desk, he fought to open his Vicodin bottle. "I know I hired you for your looks instead of your brains, but you're more than smart enough to deduce that no Chase means you can go out on a date with me."

She frowned at his sarcasm. "No, it doesn't, House. Dates do not go well for us."

House's bottom lip jutted out in thought. "So we can skip straight to the sex then. Great."

This time she smiled and put her head down in the way House loved to see. "I mean," she said more forcefully, "that I'll see you at the ball, and we'll see how it goes."

He looked agitated. House bounced his cane on the floor several times. "You want to go slower with me than you did with Chase," he almost whined jealously.

"If I've learned anything from the circus that has been the last two weeks," she said, her hands on her hips, "is that I shouldn't jump into anything. It only hurts people later."

House nodded in acquiescence. "Okay, but save me a dance Friday?"

She smiled at the vulnerability projecting from his face. "Play your cards right…" she said as she got up to leave.

House smiled proudly at her confidence and teasing. "Oh, by the way," he said, making her turn around. "We are _so_ making out behind the bleachers."

Cameron laughed and left the office. She put her arms up to her stomach, vainly trying to ignore the warm swirls that were once again in her belly.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16 Don't Panic in Elevators

Chapter 16

"You know you have the potential to screw this up. Badly." Cuddy said before she took a sip of her soft drink.

"Thanks for the insight, _Lisa_," House jeered. He was sitting across from her and Wilson at a bistro that Thursday at lunch. "It's a dinner and dance. We're not even going together."

Wilson shot a look at his friend. "All we're trying to tell you is not to panic. If you do, you'll have to wait another year and get shot at again. That could get costly."

"I won't panic," House said, rolling his head upwards so that he looked at the ceiling. "Look, I don't understand why she'd choose me over anyone—let alone Chase, but I do know that I want her." He emphasized his point even more as he leaned over the table, saying, "I won't panic."

House noticed that Cuddy was scooping up bite after bite on her fork. She seemed like a hungry wreck. "Have you already impregnated her?" House asked Wilson loudly.

Wilson's fork stopped midway from his plate to his mouth while Cuddy choked on a portabella mushroom. Enjoying their reaction and the newfound way to torment his employer, he continued, "I guess I've lost my bet, Wilson. I always assumed you were sterile."

"House! For the love of my unborn and not yet conceived child, I beg you to shut up," Cuddy cried as she tried to retain some dignity.

Wilson interjected. "There's a reason why we brought you here today for lunch," he said, grabbing Cuddy's hand. "We know it's sudden, but we've decided to move in together."

House stared blankly at his friends for several seconds. "Wait a minute. I get a free meal because you two want to shack up? That was incredibly stupid on your part, and lucky on mine. Why should I care if you plan to live in sin?" he asked. Pausing, House sighed, his blue eyes losing that glint of mockery. He smiled a little, continuing, "I hope it works out for both of you. Congratulations."

They both smiled at House. Cuddy replied, "Thank you, House. That means something to us. We've all been friends for a long time."

House ate his last bite of food and then said, "Consider my not giving you a sperm donation as your house warming gift."

xxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the day and Friday went smoothly. Chase was a complete gentleman to both House and Cameron. House did not trust Chase, but let it go. Foreman minded his own business for once and stayed out of the way.

Cameron and House nervously avoided each other. They would smile from across the room, but seemed afraid that they would break the spell of calmness if they made any sudden movements.

Friday after lunch, House caught Cameron alone in an elevator. She could not hide her smile, but neither could he. As he turned towards her, he said referring to the elevator, "I'm feeling strange Grey's Anatomy déjà vu." He paused for effect. "Have I ever called you a whore and then killed your dog?"

Cameron chuckled. "No, but if you stop talking," she nearly purred, "you can live out an Aerosmith video."

He loved the fact that she could keep up with him. That attracted him more than how she looked. One of House's biggest enjoyments—and thrills—was to watch Cameron in the conference room, to see her brain tick and outsmart the boys. She could almost always do it, and it always made him proud—not to mention, hot under the collar.

House followed her advice, pinning her to one corner. He hit the emergency stop button with his cane. She looked up at him, putting her hands on his hips. His arms came up on either side of Cameron's head, bracing himself. They looked at each other, realizing that this would be their first real kiss. Cameron saw fear and anticipation in House's sky-blue eyes. With that look, she knew how much she loved him. She had been deeply in love with her husband, but this was different. Right then, right there, she felt safe with House. Cameron would have stayed in the elevator forever.

House thought he detected love in Cameron's features, which scared the hell out of every fiber of his being. But he too also felt safe at that moment with her. The thought of Stacy was a painful, distant memory. He leaned down to kiss her, and she closed her eyes to accept his lips, but he stopped before he reached her. "You should know something," he told her quietly.

They were still in the same close embrace. She tried to clear her mind in order to think. He continued, "Last year, you told me that you had thought I was too damaged to love anyone."

"House…" she tried to interrupt, but he shook his head to stay her.

"Then you thought I just couldn't love you. And you were right," he said. Seeing the hurt in her eyes, he rushed on. "At the time, I couldn't. My mind…my heart…hell, my everything was still so wrapped around Stacy. I liked you then, but I had to get past her in order to love anyone else. And I did get past her. I just thought you should know."

Cameron's heart almost jumped from her chest. The hands that were still on his hips pulled him toward her. He smiled as he knew what was about to happen. Their lips met, seemingly dancing with each other to a tune only their bodies were aware of. His hands came down and grabbed her back, pushing her even closer to him. They nipped and sipped at each other until they could take it no longer. One hand played with her hair as he put his forehead on hers so that they could catch their breath. "You're damn better than a dream," House whispered.

She laughed softly, tugging on his suit jacket while her fingers played with the buttons. "I kissed you while you were sleeping," she said in a hushed voice, embarrassed by the declaration.

"What?" House asked, shaking his head. "I thought you didn't come to see me."

Her striking green eyes hit his. "I stayed with you for three days. I told everyone not to tell you."

_I had been right! _He thought possessively. House bent his head down and kissed her again, tenderly and slowly.

The kiss left Cameron dizzy. _And that's why older men are always better_, she thought with a grin. She tickled his stomach with the knuckles of one of her hands.

House hit the button, and the elevator moved again. "By the way," he said as the elevator doors opened, "was I good?"

Cameron smiled, remembering that night at the hospital. "You were comatose."

House hit his cane on the ground with a manly _thunk_. Still referring to that night, he said with a smirk, "I rocked your world."

The elevator doors slid shut, leaving Cameron inside to agree that he always certainly had and probably still would at the charity ball that night.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17 Cinderella with her Fella

Chapter 17

House arrived at the charity function before the rest of his party. It was held in a large room inside the hospital. He found their table and sat down. Popping two Vicodin, his eyes darted around the hall, trying to spot Cameron. Wilson and Cuddy walked in together. Wilson's arm was around her shoulders. They came up and sat down next to House. "Did she stand you up?" Cuddy snickered as Wilson pulled out her chair for her.

"You're awfully smug now that your baby's not coming from a plastic cup," House jeered, taking a swig of the bourbon in his glass.

"Just don't be yourself. And try not to panic," Cuddy advised House. She hoped that it worked out for him. Cuddy had seem him suffer for quite some time, and she wanted him to be happy—as happy as she was right now. She turned to peck Wilson on the lips when Foreman, his date, and Chase strolled up.

"Panic about what?" Foreman asked innocently, but his dark eyes sparkled, waiting for a response.

"I heard I got nominated Homecoming King. I'm just so nervous!" House responded with an exaggerated face as he bit his fingernails.

They were all seated now and chatting amiably. "So when are you moving in together?" Chase asked.

Cuddy grinned brightly. No one had ever seen her blue eyes burn as brightly as they did tonight. She wore a bright pink gown that accentuated her curves. Her brown hair curled around her neck and seductively down her back. Wilson was proud to have walked in with her. "We move James things tomorrow morning," she gushed. "We've rented a larger apartment, so my things will be moved…"

Her words trailed off as she saw House's face. He looked as if someone had hit him in the head with a shovel. She noticed that his lips were slightly open as he gasped lightly. His eyes glossed over in a fixed stare. Then she saw him smile, just a little. No one else noticed his upturned lips. Cuddy's eyes followed his gaze, as did the rest of the table. There stood Cameron, looking around for her table. House had never seen anything so beautiful. Her long, slinky gown was a deep green silk that matched the color of her eyes. Her reddish, brown hair was in a loose knot, and strands of equally silky hair lightly brushed her forehead. The dress was low-cut but tactful, enough to let every man in the room fantasize endlessly about what lay underneath.

House stood up. Cameron's face brightened when she saw him. He looked amazing in his tuxedo, but she had known he would after 'Casino Night.' The black made him look even taller and lankier. His messy, sandy-brown hair made him look 'devil-may-care' and sexy. The stubble on his chin seemed rebellious since he was wearing the beautiful tux. Plainly put, he took her breath away. He hobbled to her, handing her a corsage. She looked surprised. "How did you know what kind of flower to get me?" she asked. "I didn't tell you the color of my dress."

He looked down at the floor. "I made Cuddy find out what you were going to wear. She must have bribed a nurse."

Cameron smiled softly. "Thank you." She then looked at his tuxedo. In the pocket, he was wearing a flower that matched her corsage. Cameron realized for the first time that House really was a romantic

She lifted her fingertips to the flower on his chest. House sucked in a gulp of air at her touch. "I know this isn't a date, but I thought that I should," he said of the flower.

"It was a nice gesture." Her green eyes looked at his with a promise of what was to come.

He leaned close to her. Cameron could feel the stubble from his cheek rub her ear as he whispered, "You're wearing your mother's earrings again. Beautiful."

Her eyes shut uncontrollably. Cameron's cheeks warmed as she smiled.

They headed for the table. Dinner was soon served. Discussion stayed lively, but nervous looks passed around like a ping pong ball as the civilians of the table watched Chase, House, and Cameron, waiting for war to break out.

Then it happened. "Would you like to dance with me?" Chase asked Cameron. Cameron eyed House, who was sitting next to her. He rubbed his hand on her knee and nodded his consent. Cameron got up and went to the dance floor with the other doctor.

House looked over at Cuddy, nearly sticking his tongue out at her. Pettily, he said, "I told you I wouldn't panic."

Wilson took in a deep breath. He was still staring at Cameron. "You might now."

House's head snapped toward her direction. Chase was dancing too close to Cameron. His hands were resting far down her back. House's blood began to boil. He could feel heat rising on his neck.

"How's it going with House?" Chase asked, moving even closer.

Feeling uncomfortable, she tried moving away. Treating him as her friend, she replied, "Good. But I'm sorry I ever got you involved."

Chase shook his head. His long hair touched her at the movement. "I'm not sorry. We had a great time together. Even if it was short."

Cameron didn't have time to respond. "May I cut in?" House said, inches away from them now.

Chase gave him a sour look, unable to remain the nice guy much longer. "Haven't you cut in enough lately?" he asked.

House glared at him. "You're a bad priest."

Chase exclaimed, "I was never a priest."

House raised his eyebrows to make his point. "Because you suck at it."

Cameron's eyes pleaded with his. "House, let's just get out of here."

House had to tear his eyes from Chase's. The older doctor looked menacing as he gripped his cane tightly. "I'm not averse to knocking you out again," he growled. Then he and Cameron exited the hall and went upstairs to his office.

He sat down behind his desk while Cameron sat in the chair in front of him. The entire floor was dark and abandoned, save for some nurses. House picked up his grey and red ball. Grinning, he tossed it at Cameron. She caught it, smiling back at him. They began a game of catch. Eventually, House threw it too hard, and she wasn't able to catch it. House got up to retrieve it, but he stopped in front of her. His eyes drifted over her body. Cameron flushed at the look on his face. He bent over her and kissed her. Her hands came up to touch his shoulders underneath his jacket. He was warm. House's hands slipped behind her back and lifted her from the chair. Their lips still connected, he sat her down on his desk. He came up between her legs, his hand touching her velvety thigh from between the slit in her dress. Cameron's fingers played with his hair.

"I thought we _weren't_ skipping straight to the sex part," she murmured, sighing.

"You know I'm not good with rules," he groaned and kissed her neck.

Eventually, she pulled away from him. Blinking apologetically, she said, "I need to go to check on Callie." When she saw that he had no clue what she was talking about, she said, "Our patient. She's nine, and I promised her I would show her my dress and tell her goodnight. I'm sorry, but I'll be right back."

House collapsed into the chair she had been sitting in. "Hurry back," he said, panting.

She scurried out the door. House closed his eyes, content with how the night had proceeded. He couldn't imagine how he had become this happy. The bottom had to be somewhere close. And it had to be about ready to cave in.

House heard the door open. Without opening his eyes, he half expected her to run up to him and start the game over. When she didn't, he frowned and opened his eyes. Cameron hadn't opened the door.

Stacy had.

"Greg! Are you all right? I got a call about five hours ago that said you had been shot and was calling out for me. I got here as soon as I could," she heaved, coming closer.

"You're late. The shooting happened two weeks ago," House said flatly. "Let me guess. A certain Australian we all know and are irritated by gave you a call."

Stacy nodded her head. Tears stung her eyes. "I was so worried," she cried. "I didn't know what to do."

House hugged her tightly. "I'm okay," he whispered.

Still squeezing him, she said, "Mark and I are separated. He left a couple of months ago."

"I'm sorry," House told her.

Stacy harrumphed at the apology, tears still rolling down her face. "Greg," she said, "I still love you."

House put his head on her shoulder. "I love you, too," he said quietly.

House heard a gasp. He looked up to see Cameron. She had heard the announcement.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18 A Grim Fairytale

Chapter 18

"Go straight to hell," Cameron uttered, the wind knocked from her lungs. She turned around and slammed the door shut on her way out.

"Cameron!" House called out, but she had already stormed off to the elevators.

"Greg, what's going on?" Stacy asked, just noticing his formal wear.

"Stacy, I love you. I always will, but I'm in love with Cameron. I'm sorry," House said, pushing her away with his hands so that she had to look at him. "Go back to Mark."

House limped toward the door and left her in the office. He headed back to the ball, looking for Wilson. He ran into Chase first. Stopping in front of the younger doctor, he bellowed, "If you were worth it, I would knock you upside the head with this cane."

Chase smirked, knowing that his plan must have worked. House left him and did find Wilson. "Have you seen Cameron?"

Wilson shook his head, dumbfounded. "No, last time I saw her she was with you."

Cuddy giggled. "He panicked," she told Wilson, swaying. "You owe me twenty bucks."

"Lay off the cocktails," House barked at the obviously intoxicated Cuddy. He headed for his bike.

House raced for Cameron's apartment. It was the only place he knew to look. Once at her door, he knocked several times, but there was no answer. He tried her cell phone, but he only got voicemail. Assuming he had beaten her home, he looked around the hall for a hidden key. House realized that breaking into her apartment probably wouldn't help her trust issues, so he eased himself down to the floor. Resting his back on the door, he shut his eyes and waited.

………………………………………

The swirls so familiar to Cameron's stomach now swished nauseously, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. How could she have been so stupid to think she could have House? When she had resigned, she should have left and never came back.

She didn't want to go home, fearing Chase would follow her there. Cameron was sure House would be too busy with Stacy to try to find her. She got off the elevator on the second floor and headed for the stairwell, knowing there wasn't a chance of running into House and Stacy on a flight of stairs.

Tears flowed freely as she sat down on one of the steps. Resting her head on the cool, metal railing, she wept for what felt like hours. She gazed down at the corsage on her dress. Ripping it off, she lunged it violently down the steps. Cameron put her hands on her forehead. It had been ten years since she had felt like this, first with her husband, then with Joe, now House. She had loved, really loved, only three men in her lifetime. And she loved House the most. Cameron wasn't sure why exactly. There were so many reasons against it. Vicodin. Surliness. The wall he put around himself. But like she told him before, he did things because they were right. He was brilliant. And there was something about the way he looked at her. Cameron knew that she could search until the day she died, and she would find no one that looked at her the way he did.

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Cameron pushed back her falling hair and sat up straighter. Looking up, she braced herself for whoever was about to come around the corner. Her mouth dropped when she saw who it was.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19 Tipsy and Gutsy

Chapter 19

"Dr. Cuddy, I was…uh…" Cameron stuttered as she wiped her eyes.

Cuddy sat down next to her. Giving her a warm, knowing smile, she said, "You were hiding from two very difficult and annoying hospital hunks."

Cameron's eyes went wide as she laughed a little, stunned by her boss's choice of words. "No, I just wanted to get away from the party," she lied.

Cuddy blinked at her. "Dr. Cameron, I may be a little drunk, but I'm not stupid," she slurred slightly. She put her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "James and I saw Stacy."

Cameron put her head down. She pleated a corner of her dress as she whispered, "Oh."

Cameron was surprised that Cuddy had even tried to find her. The two women were never close, and she assumed that they never would be. There was an unspoken jealousy between them, or so she thought, because of House. Cameron had been happily surprised when she had heard that Cuddy was with Wilson. If Cuddy was taken, then she was out of the picture, but she hadn't counted on Stacy being the one to throw the wrench in her and House's relationship.

Cuddy brought her out of her daydream, saying, "I also saw Stacy leave. Alone. House went to find _you_."

Cameron's face brightened. Then her eyes clouded with confusion. "But why was she here? Had she heard about me and House?"

Cuddy shook her head, her lips turning into a sad frown. "No," she said. "Stacy told us that Chase had called her and told her House had been shot today and was asking for her. She came right away."

Cuddy witnessed the younger doctor's eyes haze over into anger. The tears were gone. She stood up, then helped Cuddy stand as well. Still holding on to her hand, Cameron said, "Thank you for this." Cuddy nodded and watched her stride down the stairs towards the ball.

Cameron glided into the hall with a newfound confidence. She felt guilty about not giving House the benefit of the doubt, but now she knew that she had been wrong. House still wanted her.

She found Chase sitting at their table. Wilson was there, waiting for Cuddy who was right behind her. Cuddy took her seat and waited anxiously to see what was bound to be a better show than New Year's Eve at Times Square. Foreman was invested in his date while she cooed in his ear. Chase looked up at Cameron, concern in his face.

"Cameron, are you all right?" he asked, standing up.

Cameron took a deep breath. "I am all right, Robert. Thank you for asking." Everyone looked flabbergasted by the response, because truthfully, she looked like a wreck. Her mascara smudged her face. Her hair was in her eyes. And she had torn her dress a little from ripping the corsage off. She looked him square in the eye. "I also want to thank you for something else."

Chase smiled nervously, but expectantly. "For what?"

Her green eyes started to glow. "Because of what you did tonight, I know more than I ever have what I want."

Chase became anxious now, his eyes glancing around the table. "And what have you learned?"

Cameron smiled so sweetly that it looked bitter. "I have learned that you need to grow up. I also know without question, that I made the right decision by dumping you," she said. Inhaling deeply, she added, "And I know, as I will know for the rest of my life, that I am in love Gregory House."

Chase winced at her declaration in embarrassment. "Was that necessary, Cameron?" he asked in a hushed voice.

She shook her head proudly. "No, but neither are you." Cuddy grinned at her with feminine pride. She had been waiting quite some time to see if she would grow a backbone. Addressing a stunned table of friends, Cameron said, "Good night. I have to go now."

TBC


	20. Chapter 20 A Doctor and a Gentleman

Chapter 20

Cameron drove home. She found House stretched out in front of her door. His cane lay next to his leg, his cell phone in his hand.

"Waiting for an important phone call?" she asked.

House could have sworn she was sashaying towards him. He enjoyed the movement. "I was waiting for you," he said quietly. Standing up, he looked at her with a saddened face. He was disappointed that he had screwed things up so badly, that he hurt her. "I'm not with Stacy," he emphasized, hitting his cane on the floor.

She gave him a small smile, crossing her arms across her stomach. "I know," Cameron said. "Cuddy told me what happened."

House noticed that his corsage had been torn off. Looking down, he asked, "So are we still good?"

There was a spark in her eyes. He had seen her confident and forceful, but it had come to a fever pitch. "That depends."

House gulped. "On?"

Cameron stepped closer to him. "On what you say in the next two minutes."

He rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. House inched nearer to her. There seemed to be static in the air, crackling between them. He finally said, "You make it hurt less."

Her head snapped back in surprise. She knew she wouldn't expect the right answer, but she certainly didn't see that as even in the ballpark. _Damn! _she thought. _Now I'm using sports metaphors. _"I make your leg hurt less? You mean I'm your new Vicodin?" she asked almost angrily. Cameron didn't want to be a substitute for anything—not Stacy, and certainly not pills.

He shook his head. "No. Everything hurts less when you are around. Life hurts less."

House took her hand in his. "It's true that I love Stacy. But in the same way you will always love your husband." He took a deep breath. House never expected to say this to Cameron and he couldn't believe he was now.

"I love you, Allison."

Tears stung her eyes for the second time that night. "Time's up," she whispered, reaching to meet his lips.

House pulled her towards the door. She already had the key in her hand and was putting it in the lock. She opened the door, grabbed him by his jacket, and rushed him inside.

The kiss was passionate and frenzied. Both were out of breath when she broke her lips away. Cameron looked into his face. Tears made his blue eyes shine even more.

She smiled as she said, "I love you, too, Greg." They chuckled at the use of their names as they reached for each other. Cameron kissed him again.

"Please tell me you were a cheerleader in high school," was the last thing heard from the hallway as Cameron shut the door, laughing, leaving them alone together for the rest of the weekend.

THE END.


End file.
